


Pine-fresh

by blithesea



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Humour, M/M, Prefects' Bathroom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-22
Updated: 2015-05-22
Packaged: 2018-03-31 17:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3986443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blithesea/pseuds/blithesea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set during GoF, before the second task. Harry is stressed out and decides to allow himself the pleasure of another bath.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for GoF. Written between Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix. 
> 
> Originally posted on February 4, 2002.

Harry made his way through dark corridors, up deserted staircases, towards the Prefects' bathroom. In spite of the fact that he was wearing his Invisibility Cloak, he felt rather vulnerable without the Marauder's Map, and more than once an unexpected noise made him jump with fright.

He knew he shouldn't be out here, alone, at night, but lately the endless worrying over the Tournament's second task was seriously getting to him. He still didn't have any idea how to survive underwater for a whole hour in the Lake, and was hoping that maybe in the Prefects' bathroom he'd be able to think of a way to pull it off. The pool was deep enough to simulate a dive, but not deep enough to drown in if he was a bit careful. More importantly, even though he didn't admit it to himself, Harry longed to just relax in the pool's bubble bath and forget the second task for a few blissful hours.

Thus, he determinedly kept up his pace, sighing with relief the moment the statue of Boris the Bewildered came into view. He faced the narrow door next to it and muttered, "Pine-fresh", desperately hoping that the password hadn't been changed since the last time he'd been here.

The door creaked open, and Harry slipped inside soundlessly, pulling off his Invisibility cloak once he'd closed the door behind himself again.

He noticed something wasn't right even before he turned around. A musky odor was filling the room. When he whipped his head around, nothing seemed out of order at first glance. The chandelier was blazing with candles, as it had last time. The marble was still shimmering, and glorious, and the mermaid waved cheerfully at him from the picture on the wall.

Then he saw it. The pool was full of water. Somebody was in here already.

Cursing inwardly, Harry backed off towards the door. If only he'd had the Marauder's Map with him; he would have been able to avoid this fix! Maybe the someone in the pool hadn't noticed him yet, and he could make a quick and graceful retreat still.

Just when he had turned around and began to slowly move towards the exit, a sneering voice rang out from behind him.

"Come to scrub my back, Potter?"

Harry turned around and faced his arch enemy, trying not show his frustration over finding the other boy here. "Malfoy. Have you turned Prefect over night? Or could it be that you have absolutely no business being here at all?"

"No more than you do, I'd say," Draco replied, smiling. "So unless you want me to report your untimely little stroll through the castle, you'd better turn around and walk right out of that door again."

"Report me and admit you've been out after hours as well?" Harry gave back coolly, unwilling to back off. He'd been looking forward to this bath all day; if he wanted to use the pool that night not even Malfoy would be able to stop him, he decided stubbornly. "You've had your fun long enough now, get out of there and leave me alone."

"Like hell I will!" Draco played with one of the taps, filling the pool with bubbles of various colors that gave a metallic ping when they imploded. "I was here first!"

"Oh, right," Harry replied dryly and began to unbutton his robes. "Why don't you try to sound even more like a spoiled little brat, that's going to make me change my mind for sure."

Draco watched Harry fold his robes and put them on the floor carefully, his expression changing from one of boredom to barely controlled anger. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm getting in there," Harry replied matter-of-factly, even though he didn't feel quite as confident as he wanted Draco to believe. "I came here to take a bath and that's what I intend to do."

"Of course, I forgot," Draco shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "If Harry Potter, School Champion and Boy Who Unfortunately Lived, sets his mind on something, everybody else is supposed to get out of his way, and quick."

Harry did his best to ignore Draco and took off his pajama's top and pants. He realized bathing with his boxers on would be rather uncomfortable, but getting naked in front of Draco Malfoy was not an option. When he looked up again he saw that Draco's lips had curled into a smile.

"Prudish, aren't we? Do you always take a bath with your clothes on? What is this, some sort of weird Muggle ritual?"

"Just shut up," Harry answered between clenched teeth. "The pool's big enough for both of us."

He walked to the pool's brink and slowly climbed inside. The hot water engulfing him made all of his nerves tingle pleasantly, and he couldn't suppress a small sigh. The only thing disturbing his bliss was the other boy with him in the pool. Harry had been hoping that Draco would get bored with the situation soon and leave then, but right now it didn't look that way at all. Draco was lazily doing the backstroke, making a point of splashing Harry every time he passed him.

"Can't look too well with those specs of yours now, can you Potter?" Draco snickered. "Maybe you should better leave and just take a shower. In your boxers, of course."

"I'm not leaving," Harry replied angrily, trying to remember the water-repellent spell Hermione had once used on his glasses.

"Have it your way then," Draco said carelessly and sent another splash of water Harry's way, who was getting thoroughly annoyed with the obnoxious Slytherin by now.

"Leave it be, Malfoy, or you'll be sorry," he said irritably, but Draco only snorted.

"Or what? You're going to drown me? Fling your underwear at me?"

"Just get away from me," Harry snapped, waving his hand dismissively at the other boy, only the gesture didn't come out as condescending and cool as he had intended it to, but rather like a very mishapen attempt at splashing Draco himself.

"That's the best you can do?" Draco snickered, and Harry had the very urgent desire to take up Draco's suggestion and drown him.

"Shut up," he grumbled, which seemed only to spur the Slytherin's mirth. Draco laughed and laughed until his face was turning red. Then suddenly he sank underwater.

Harry's heart leapt with hope at the thought that maybe Draco had suffered a seizure or something likewise unhealthy, but as the minutes ticked by and the other boy didn't resurface he started to get nervous.

"Malfoy? That's not funny. Not one bit."

Nothing happened, and Harry grew even more uncomfortable. What if really something had happened to Draco? What if this wasn't just some trick to make fun of him?

"I'm worried, okay? You have me worried. Very amusing. Now come back up here!"

The pool remained still, and no Draco came up sneering at Harry, who was beginning to sweat right now. How long could people survive without oxygen? And how long exactly had Draco been under water? It felt like ages to Harry. Maybe he had passed out from laughing, and was floating unconsciously beneath the foam... It seemed that Harry had no option but to dive down there and check.

He tried to ignore the slight wave of nausea that threatened to take hold of him at the mere thought. His swimming was clumsy at its best, and he had even less experience at diving. But as the seconds dragged on and Draco still hadn't come up yet, Harry decided to give it a shot. Anything seemed better now than to have to call for help and explain to the one coming why he was in the prefects' bathroom in the middle of the night. With Draco Malfoy, of all people.

Harry blanched when he realized how the situation must look to anyone walking in on them. He and his arch enemy, bathing together. To dive and possibly drown in the process seemed so much more inviting at this moment.

He took a deep breath and dove beneath the bubbles, awkwardly holding his glasses with one hand. He saw Draco lie on the pool's far end, his eyes closed. Harry swam over to him, cursing inwardly all the time for not checking on the other boy sooner. It felt like eons until he had finally reached Draco. His heart was hammering against his ribs as he leaned over the pale figure.

*Wait a sec. If he's unconscious, isn't he supposed to be floating?* Just when this thought crossed Harry's mind, Draco suddenly opened his eyes. They were sparkling with glee, and Harry felt the blood rush into his ears, whether from the fact that he was short on air, or from the humiliation of seeing Draco laugh at him silently, he didn't know. Harry closed his eyes and kicked himself off the ground, greedily gulping in the air when he broke through the water's surface.

Draco swam up to him, his expression one of malicious delight. "Potter, you're truly a hero."

Coughing up some water that had gotten into his windpipe, Harry managed to glare at Draco. "Damn you, Malfoy."

"Took you a bit to come after me though, did you hope I had finally snuffed it?" Draco asked grinning, in no way holding back his amusement.

"I should have left you down there to rot," Harry said bitterly, and took off his glasses, which were impossible to see through at the moment. However, when he found he had nothing to wipe them dry on, he put them back on his nose, even more frustrated. Then something occurred to him.

"How did you do it?"


	2. The Bargain

"How did you do it?"

Draco smiled confidently at the question. "Unlike other people, I have a knack for diving, it seems," he drawled and fiddled with another one of the taps, causing the water to warm up a considerable bit and turn a deep purple.

"I may not be a good diver, but I know that nobody could have survived that long underwater without help, Malfoy," Harry shot back, frowning. "Was it a spell?"

Rolling his eyes, Draco replied, "No, I'm actually an enchanted starfish and have managed not to let any of you notice all these years. Of course it was a spell, idiot. I'm a wizard, it's what we do. Oh well, I guess you wouldn't know anything about that, what with your living with Muggles and all, but I thought you would have learned something during your time here..."

"What kind of a spell was it, Malfoy?" Harry interrupted him, trying not to sound as desperate as he felt at this moment. Draco just might have the solution to all of his problems, without being aware of it.

"Why is that so important to you?" Draco asked, his eyes shining with curiosity, and Harry shrugged uncomfortably.

"No particular reason."

"Right," Draco said slowly. "Not for any particular reason, and definitely not because it might have to do anything at all with the Triwizard Tournament."

Harry was not very happy about the fact that Draco had guessed the reason for his interest so quickly, but he tried not to let the other boy notice this. "I just thought it might come in handy one day," he said lamely, trying to avoid Draco's piercing stare. "So, are you going to tell me or not?"

Draco raised his eyebrows, taking his time before answering. "If I do, what do I get in return?"

This was something Harry had not considered at all. The thought of being indebted to his arch enemy made him more than uncomfortable, and for a moment he was tempted to just tell Draco off and leave. However, he'd spent weeks trying to unravel the riddle whose solution now suddenly seemed well within his reach. Could he really let this opportunity slip past him?

"What do you want?" Harry asked, reassuring himself that there was still plenty of time to back out of any nastiness that Draco might think up for him.

"Well, let's see, what could I possibly want from you..." Draco smiled, obviously enjoying every second of this. "All depends on how much you want this spell, doesn't it?"

He moved a little closer to Harry, and Harry involuntarily backed away until he was stopped by the pool's brink. Gritting his teeth, Harry answered, "Just spit it out, Malfoy, I don't want to spend all night here with you!"

Draco raised one of his eyebrows. "Don't flatter yourself, Potter, I don't intend to waste more of my time than absolutely necessary."

"Well?" Harry said irritably, and waited for the undoubtedly improper, unfair and embarrassing proposition that was about to come.

"Have you ever kissed someone, Potter?"

"Huh?" Harry stared at Draco, wondering if he'd lost his marbles. Draco merely looked back at him, his grey eyes piercing.

"Well, of course," Harry replied, stuttering slightly. He didn't feel comfortable at all under Draco's gaze. And even less when talking about his kissing experience, which amounted to exactly nil, if one didn't count the times he'd dreamed of Cho Chang. "Sure I've kissed people."

"You should practice lying without being so bloody obvious about it," Draco said dryly. "I think you've never been kissed, except maybe by your Muggle aunt when you've been a very good boy."

Harry tried to get the image of Aunt Petunia out of his mind quickly. "As if you've kissed so many people," he shot back, getting angry. "I'd rather live in celibacy than kiss anyone like Pansy Parkinson or Millicent Bullstrode!"

"If you think I'd touch any of those disgusting birds, your grip on reality is even looser than I thought," Draco snorted. "I have standards, after all."

He moved even closer still, even though Harry hadn't thought that would be possible. Any move on his side would result in touching Draco now, and that was something he wasn't too keen about.

"The question is, do you?" Draco said, his eyes sparkling maliciously. "Or is winning the Tournament so important to you that you'd do anything? Even kiss someone whom you'd rather punch in the face, given the chance? Another bloke, even, though I'm sure your Muggle folks have told you time and again that's unnatural and just plain wrong?"

"I'm sure I'd never stoop that low," Harry said through clenched teeth. Something flashed in Draco's eyes, and for a moment Harry was sure the other boy would hit him, but the blow never came.

"Right." Draco said, his voice dangerously calm. "I'm glad we sorted that out." He backed off and waded to the ladder. Grabbing the railing, he turned his head around to Harry once more.

"I'm really looking forward to that Tournament now. I'll make sure to sit in the first row and enjoy every second of your miserable failure, knowing it was all just because you were too much of a scared little shit to go for the chance I offered you."

"I'm not scared!" Harry gave back sharply, before he could help himself.

"Aren't you now?" Draco said softly, his eyes never leaving Harry's. He came closer again, once more crowding Harry into the pool's brink.

"Prove it."

Harry inwardly cursed himself and the mess he'd gotten into. Was there any chance for him to back out now and remain even a shred of his dignity? This was just a kiss, after all. Just a kiss. *But, Draco Malfoy!*, insisted a voice inside him that sounded oddly like Hermione. *You're playing right into his hands, can't you see that?*

Just a kiss. Close your eyes and think of the Triwizard Cup.

Banishing all thought from his mind, Harry leaned over and covered Draco's lips with his own.

He was prepared to feel disgusted. What else could kissing someone you hated be like, after all? He was not prepared to enjoy the sensation of Draco's warm mouth on his.

But he did.

Draco's lips, soft and warm, slightly sucking on his, that was nice. Draco's hands reaching up, running through his hair, very nice. His arms around Draco's waist, Draco's skin hot under his fingers, their lips parting, nice didn't quite cover it. Draco's tongue, unexpectedly teasing his lips. Harry gasped and for the briefest instant their tongues met, sending a tingly feeling searing through his body, from his groin to his very fingertips.

He quickly broke their contact, feeling his ears burn. Draco slowly let his arms sink, his face splitting into a smirk.

"Your glasses are all steamed up."

"Uh, well..." Harry was too busy blushing at first to realize that Draco was moving away from him, until the other boy climbed the ladder. Even through his wet, foggy glasses Harry could see that Draco was stark naked.

*Of course he is, he was taking a bath when you came in!* Still, this did little to ease his embarrassment. In the meantime Draco snatched a towel, briefly dried himself and began to dress. It took Harry a moment to realize what was wrong with this picture.

"Hang on a moment, what do you think you're doing?" he asked incredulously while climbing the ladder himself, rather self-conscious about the way his boxers clung to his lean frame.

"Well, I'm getting all wrinkled, guess it's time to leave," Draco said pleasantly, buttoning up his shirt.

"All right, tell me about the spell now, then," Harry retorted, his voice getting sharper.

Draco slid into his slippers and walked towards Harry, who had to work very hard not to back away. Draco suddenly resembled a cat who had just enjoyed a whole bowl of cream, and Harry didn't like that look one bit.

"Oh, Potter," he said with a sigh, sounding like a grown-up explaining something to a very young child. "Just think for a moment about what you're asking here. *Me*, giving *you* the clue to winning the Triwizard Tournament and prove yourself to be the national hero once more? Honestly, did you believe for a minute I'd do that? I never thought you'd be that daft."

"You bastard." The words didn't come out as more than a whisper.

Draco just seemed to soak up the rage that crackled around Harry like electricity. He turned around, still smiling and made for the door. Harry willed his feet to follow, to slam Draco into the next wall and slowly strangle him until the damned smile left his pale face, but they wouldn't obey him. Draco reached the door unscathed.

"See you around, Potter."

And he was gone.


End file.
